How to Tell When it’s Time for a New Bathroom

As a homeowner, you probably wonder when you should remodel your bathroom. Since you see your bathroom every day, it’s easy to take the room for granted. You may hardly even “see” it anymore. Usually this is a tell-tale sign that some change needs to be made. Whether you are looking at a full-scale remodel or just updating some fixtures and the paint, taking a step back and assessing your situation, desires and budget can be a helpful first step.

Get Perspective

In order to evaluate your bath, it helps to have some perspective. Consider how you view the bathroom when you are entertaining your friends, especially for a dinner party or some formal affair. How does this change the way you view the bathroom? Suddenly you’re looking at the room through the eyes of an outsider. Is the tub out of date? Does the vanity still have the same charm it once did? Most importantly, how does the bathroom function? Does it allow for multiple teenagers to get ready at one time? Or is it cramped and dark?

Weigh Your Priorities

Consider the whole house. What are your priorities and what is in the future? If you plan to expand your family in a few years, you may decide to sell the home down the road. In that case, consider putting your home-improvement dollars into the bathrooms. Bathrooms and kitchens are two of the most important rooms in the house, and are areas which you can upgrade fairly easily. They are the rooms which give you the most ‘bang for your buck’ when it comes to return on your investment in the home sales price. Look into the most up-to-date fixtures, but try to avoid anything which is too unique. Make sure the bathroom will suit your tastes, but also consider how a potential buyer might view your choices. If possible, seek a middle ground. You may love the color pink, but trying to sell a home with pink fixtures may prove more difficult than you want to deal with.

Broken Fixtures

Are things perpetually requiring maintenance in your bathroom? If the tub is leaking and the toilet won’t stop running, the vanity is out-of-date and the towel rack is bent, then you may want to consider replacing some or all of these items. In fact, it may be a perfect time to renovate the whole bathroom. Many times, people deal with what they feel are minor issues, but they can turn into larger issues if not maintained properly. There are more than mere aesthetic concerns involved here, too. If you have a leak, that could cause serious damage to the subfloor or the beams underneath the bathroom.